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“I Will Head to the USA to Win the Title!”
© Marc Wickert May 23, 2011 Special thanks to Eric Nicholl M-1 Global has a reputation for presenting epic showdowns in the MMA arena, and Daniel Weichel vs. Jose Figueroa on July 8 is expected to be another classic battle. Daniel is an explosive fighter, both in the stand-up and on the ground. Against southpaw Yuri Ivlev at M-1 Challenge XXI, Daniel unleashed flying knees and Thai-clinch knees, smashing Yuri’s nose and cutting deeply into his forehead before winning by TKO. Weichel has knockout power in both fists and seems to effortlessly crash-tackle his opponents with either single-or double-leg takedowns, before unleashing savage g’n’p. He is also very capable working from his back, as displayed in his match against Magomedrasul Khasbulaev at M-1 Challenge XXIII. Knucklepit had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel Weichel about his upcoming title challenge against Jose Figueroa. Daniel, were you born in Michelstadt, Hessen, Germany? Yes, I was born in Michelstadt on the 22nd of November in 1984. Is that where you live today? No, I don´t live there anymore. I’ve moved to Maintal, which is pretty close to MMA Spirit (the place I train at). During your teens, you switched from German Ju Jutsu to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. What were the main differences in the styles? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a lot more focused on ground fighting and it is more technical. It is definitely superior when it comes to grappling. What thoughts do you have regarding your participation in the MAX reality TV show before production was stopped? It´s been a great chance to get more exposure in Germany and it worked out for me. Although they´ve canceled the show just before the finals, it’s been good for my reputation and MMA in general. I was able to meet some great guys and Denis Oliwka is a regular training partner. I was really happy and excited when I finally had the chance to fight Ivan Mussardo for the MAX title at Shooto Switzerland, although it´s been delayed for around two years. Beating him in front of his home town was a great feeling. You signed a six-fight exclusive contract with M-1 Global. Is it exciting being involved with a leading MMA organization that is growing so rapidly on an international level? I simply love working with M-1; they treat me really good. I´ve been following the promotion for a long time and could always imagine being part of it. I was excited when I first entered the M-1 team challenge, when I fought for Germany. I am trying to pay them back with performing at the highest level and fighting with great spirit. Do you believe you upset Yuri Ivlev’s game plan by keeping the fight in toe-to-toe mode rather than going to the ground? I am pretty sure that everyone, including Yuri, expected me to take him to the ground, so I guess it was quite surprising for him. He didn’t alter his game plan during the fight, which was a big mistake. But these things happen in fights. Is Mario Stapel still your main trainer? I parted with Mario Stapel a long time ago. Who will your training partners be for this upcoming title fight? What aspects of your game will each of them be assisting you with? For boxing, they are Willi Fischer, Roger Knorr and Alex Schröder. I will be training Thai Boxing with multiple World and European Champion Faldir Chahbari and his two assistant coaches – Samir Al Mansouri and Omar Baqui. Sam Behnoud and Saba Bolaghi are my wrestling coaches and I do wrestle with some German Bundesliga wrestlers. We will fly in the two-time BJJ black belt world champion Louis Flavio Almeida Serafim to sharpen my Jiu Jitsu. And my MMA sparring partners include Christian Eckerlin, Dennis Siver, Sunay Hamidov, Max Gauss, Denis Oliwka and Dawid Baziak. Is all your training done at Team Weichel? “Team Weichel” doesn´t exist anymore – it is all about MMA Spirit in Frankfurt/Germany. Niels Schlaegel (my manager) has built a great foundation for any upcoming fighter nearby! The gym is simply amazing and with a total of more than 16,000 square feet, it’s probably the biggest gym in Europe. We (the mentioned trainers and fighters) all train here and there couldn´t be any better place.
Do you like being the underdog against Jose Figueroa? Bah – I don´t even think about being a favorite or underdog. A fight is a fight and I will head to the USA to win the title. As a matter of fact, it’s Jose who stands in my way and I will give it my all to overcome him on the 8th of July! Will fighting Jose in front of his home crowd worry you, or is it something you’ve become accustomed to over the years? This doesn´t bother me at all. I am used to fighting abroad and many times in front of a seemingly hostile environment. I am totally focused and the crowd probably won´t enter the ring to help Jose. [Daniel may not have heard of Renzo Gracie’s match against Eugenio Tadeu: http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-renzo_gracie.htm] What did you think of Jose’s performance against Artiom Damkovsky? He fought really smart, playing to his own strength. It is obvious, that Damkovsky likes to stand and trade punches, so Jose took the fight to the ground, and from there on it was all him. You’re used to sparring with boxers from higher weight classes. Will that help you deal with Jose’s height and reach advantage? I train with some really heavy and tall guys, including Roger Knorr (former Bundesliga boxer) and Willi Fischer (former heavyweight pro boxer – German/European and World champion) and they surely can throw a punch. It will help me a lot figuring Figueroa out. Are you confident you can overcome his reach advantage in the stand-up and on the ground? Yes, I am – I don´t mind where the fight ends as it will be me who decides where we´ll fight! Do you feel your MMA experience has matched you with tougher opponents than Jose has faced? I think we both have faced some really tough opponents, although I fought a lot of fights at welter weight, where I was outweighed by most of them. I have had more than double as many fights as him, but I don´t think that it will matter a lot when we both enter the ring. I want to take his belt and he wants to keep it – simple as that. How do you think Jose’s grappling skills compare with yours? I think Jose´s grappling skills are a little bit more classical, where as I focus a lot on the wrestling and this can be seen in my style. Will your strength and explosive power be a determining factor in this bout? Everything will be a factor in this fight. I just can´t wait and show the world how powerful I can be. Your sponsors? I´d love to thank everybody at MMA Spirit, Joya Fightwear, Fightnature and ALO Supplements. Daniel, is there anything you’d like to add? I can´t wait to fight live on Showtime and in the USA. Thanks to my training partners, my manager and close friend Niels Schlaegel, my family and fans for their support, M-1 (especially Evgeni Kogan) for giving me such a great chance, and of course Sesser 34.
For more on Daniel Weichel: www.danielweichel.com and www.m-1global.com.
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